


All You Can Really Do is Keep Going

by Chippani



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Background Character Death, Background Relationships, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Chiron can always tell who has a crush, Gen, Growing Up, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentions of Cancer, One-Sided Lee Fletcher/Luke Castellan, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Will-centric, i guess??, no beta we die like jason, no one is straight in the apollo cabin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28382571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chippani/pseuds/Chippani
Summary: Will Solace was never normal. His story wasn't one that many people would ever hear about (though that was mostly due to him being a demigod) and it wasn't exactly a happy one. Still, sometimes you just have to keep going.This is his story. At least, one version of it.
Relationships: Lee Fletcher & Will Solace, Luke Castellan & Lee Fletcher, Will Solace & Michael Yew, Will Solace & Other(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35





	1. i'm a demigod? cool. does this mean i get to meet my dad?

**Author's Note:**

> okay, let me try this again. I know I'm bad with fics, but also i have Many Thoughts. Plus i just finished ToN so i'm feeling nostalgic as hell. And I just...
> 
> There was so much we could have had with Lee, so I decided to just go for it.  
> Just remind me to actually write sometimes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will arrives at camp, gets scared and decides he likes Mr D's fasion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the only chapter that's already somewhat written in a google doc.
> 
> Also, do you know how hard it is to write some of this stuff for the 2000's? Like, how do you write a trans dude for that time when they aren't the main character and you also don't remember a lot about it?
> 
> Actually, how do you write a trans guy when you're non-binary and didn't come out until like... 2020???  
> oh my... I really figured out my gender this year huh. what a decade this year has been.

Will glanced out at the trees flying past the windows. He hadn't seen those in a while. Hadn't they just been stuck in traffic? When had they left the city? He glanced over at Mr Hummel, who'd taken to nervously eating his own shirt, before turning back to the small toys in his hands.

The little green turtles he'd been playing with stared back at him. He'd had an entire battle sequence playing out, but now he felt too nervous to continue. They were _so close_ to camp, he could feel it, but it didn't feel right for so many reasons. His mother should have been the one driving him, not his baby-sitter neighbor. Though, it wasn't like his mother _could_ drive him anymore. And Mr Hummel had said he was his protector.

Actually, he'd said a lot more, but Will had tuned out while he was talking. At least Mr Hummel didn't yell at me for it, he thought. He'd been expecting it, but Mr Hummel had said it would be wrong to yell at him for that.

The toys returned to his backpack, the bright yellow catching Mr Hummel's eye for a moment. Will couldn't help but think about how nice it had been that Mr Hummel had bought it for him after his last backpack was destroyed by a hellhound in Kentucky. At least, Mr Hummel _said_ it was a hellhound. Will hadn't had the courage to look back.

"Mikey and Leo not interesting anymore?" Mr Hummel asked. He was always so gentle with Will, especially after everything that had happened.

"It was Donny and Raph."

"My mistake." Mr Hummel smiled apologetically. Will glanced at where he put them in his bag, all for plastic ninja tutles stared back. He zipped the pocket shut. Music played softly over the radio. Mr Hummel had turned it down while they were in the city, he must not have turned it back up.

"We're almost there..." Will mumbled. "Ain't we?" He didn't dare look up from his bag. He was feeling so many different emotions, he wasn't sure if he would smile with excitement or start crying. Normally the bright color would soothe him, but really all it did at the moment was make his eyes sting. Maybe camp would be better than home. If there were more people like Mr Hummel there, then there was no doubt. But he'd also mentioned monsters and sword fighting. As cool as sword fighting sounded, Will didn't really care for fighting.

Would the camp be loud? Would there be lots of shouting? Probably, but he hoped not.

He needed to get out of the car. He needed to move. Instead of doing something dumb, he started kicking his feet. Had Mr Hummel answered? He hadn't been paying attention... again. He was glad his protector didn't get mad about that kind of thing. "What?"

"I said we'll be there shortly." He was checking the rearview mirror again. Will noticed that. Was he checking for monsters? The last one Will even remembered seeing had been a cyclops eating a pizza like a burrito. That had been funny.

Mr Hummel didn't relax until he pulled up to a hill with a large pine tree on top. Will thought he could see someone at the base for a moment, but they'd disappeared just as quickly. It wasn't lost on him that it was finally his chance to get up and _move_. He hopped out of the car before it had even been turned off, making his poor neighbor frantically get out to chase him.

Mr Hummel seemed to decide it would be safer to hold Will's hand. It probably was as it was the only thing keeping Will from running around like a little airplane. He had a lot of pent up energy from the long car ride.

There was something about the pine tree. Something that didn't quite feel right about it. That made it feel like... not a tree. Will couldn't explain it. He'd slowed down considerably once he got close enough. He barely registered someone saying his name when-

"Is it him?" His eyes snapped to the blond girl who seemed to materialize out of thin air. Where did she come from?

"Annabeth, please..." Mr Hummel sighed. "We only just got here. And his scent isn't _that_ strong." What was that supposed to mean? Will sniffed his shirt. Smelled like shirt.

"Hmph." Annabeth pouted, crossing her arms. Her grey eyes narrowed as she glanced away. Apparently this had happened before. Will couldn't help but feel like maybe it was his fault she was upset. He wanted to apologize, but his attention was pulled away from her.

What caught his eye that time? Why, it was another camper, a teenager. They were running towards the hill, bow in hand, shouting for Annabeth. _Wait, bow?_ He blinked, staring at the object in their hand. That was, in fact, a bow. They also had a quiver half full of arrows. Their pace slowed as they seemed to notice the other two with Annabeth. "Reed? I thought you weren't due back yet?"

They'd finally reached them, brows furrowed in confusion as they walked up to Mr Hummel. Their blue eyes darted to Will for a moment. "Yes, true... But I thought it best I get Will out of there asap."

They nodded. Will was facinated with the way their short, choppy brown hair kept getting in their face no matter how many times they swept it aside, and the way the multiple earrings they wore glittered gold in the sun. There was something about them, he just couldn't say what. "Will? Your name is Will?"

"William actually. But most folks call me Will." Why had he said that?

"Well, welcome to camp, Will. I'm Lee, I'm sure you've already met Annabeth." They smiled. Was Lee a boy's name? Will couldn't remember.

Annabeth huffed. "I'm going back to archery practice." She stomped back down the hill.

"Sorry about Annabeth." Lee said as they started heading down after her towards the big blue house. "She get's excited when new campers arrive."

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Will asked. He wasn't sure why he asked. Or why he was having so much trouble figuring that out. At least Lee didn't seem offended.

"I'm a boy."

"Okay." That was all that needed to be said. Lee didn't seem too upset by him asking, though he still felt like it was wrong. He reached up to mess with the straps of his backpack... Where was his backpack?

He stopped and felt his shoulders. No straps. He looked at Mr Hummel's hands. No backpack.

"Will? What's wrong?" He turned and ran back up the hill. "William!"

The two were calling after him, chasing him, but he didn't care. His backpack was still in the car! It had to be. But when he got over the hill and started towards the car he stopped dead in his tracks.

He'd never seen a man with so many eyes before. It reminded him of how his Uncle Max would say he had eyes in the back of his head, and he did not like that thought. He was shaking as he took a step back, vision blurring with tears he couldn't let fall. The hellhound and cyclops had been scary, sure, but he'd had Mr Hummel there with him. And he hadn't felt so completely exposed.

The man covered in eyes had been opening the car door, but he seemed to have stopped when he noticed Will. Several eyes blinked at once. Will whimpered.

"William! Don't run off like... Oh. Hello Argus." Mr Hummel was so calm. _Didn't he see all the eyes?_ "Were you going to park the car?"

The man nodded to Lee as he walked up to Will's side. Some of his eyes were still trained on Will. He blinked and a couple tears slipped out. He just wanted to get his backpack...

"Why was Will running back here anyway?"

Argus reached into the car for a moment before holding up his sunny yellow backpack. He must have seen it after opening the door. Or he'd seen it before he did. Either way, he saw it. "Oh! Will why didn't you say any... Will?" Mr Hummel bent down to look Will in the eye. "Hey. There's no need to cry. Argus found your bag just fine."

"Have you considered that he's afraid of Argus?"

"Ah..." his nose twitched. "Ah... he does smell pretty scared... I'll just go grab your bag for you." Mr Hummel looked embarrassed. Will didn't understand how he wasn't scared of the man with many eyes. Then again, he'd called him Argus so perhaps they knew each other. Still, Will decided to hide behind Lee. The teen was kind enough to let him, simply resting his hand on his head.

Argus didn't seem too hurt by this, simply getting in the car after handing off the back pack. Mr Hummel gave a nervous smile as he made his way back, offering the bag to Will. Of course Will took it and held it close to his chest. "Sorry. I forgot how terrifying he can be to new campers."

"It's okay, Reed. At least you didn't try to make him talk to him." Will nodded in agreement. The thought that he might have been forced to walk over and say hello was somehow even worse.

Bag in hand, the trio finally made their way back towards the big house. Will was facinated with the sight of the camp, now that he wasn't distracted by the absence of his things. They took him to a table on the porch of the big house where two men were sat with cards, snacks and diet cokes.

"Ah, Lee, Reed. Now we have four for pinochle." One of the men said. He was sitting in a wheelchair, which made Will uncomfortable. He'd only seen them at hospitals, and he didn't really like hospitals anymore. Lee sat on one side of the table and Will drifted to his side away from the man who spoke.

"I suppose I could play a round." Mr Hummel said as he took the other seat. Will noticed he looked nervously at the other man. Actually, Will hadn't really noticed the other man before. Now that he had...

"That's a cool shirt Mr."

The man paused as he was dealing cards and looked at Will. His shirt was cool, by Will's standards. It was a Hawaiian shirt with a tiger pattern. "There's a child here."

"Oh, I must have missed them." the other man said. "Come here young one." Will did not.

Lee picked him up and put him in his lap. Ordinarily Will didn't like being picked up, but Lee was gentle and smelled like flowers and clean linen. Will glanced around the table for a minute before settling. The man dealing cards sighed.

"I guess I have to say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. Th-"

"Is your hair purple?" The man's eye twitched. Had Will upset him? He shrank back, pulling his knees to his chest and squishing his bag. "I'm sorry."

"Uh." He didn't seem to know how to react to that.

"I just- I mean- I'm sorry. Purple is just... my favorite color... I'm sorry..."

The adults glanced at each other, except Mr Hummel, who seemed to be resisting the urge to leap over the table and hold him like he had at the funeral. "No need to be sorry kid." _But wasn't he angry?_ "It's just... You shouldn't interrupt people."

Will nodded. The man looked uncomfortable and glanced at the man in a wheelchair. "Well... You seem a bit young to watch the orientation film. Perhaps we should just explain. What's your name, little one?"

"Will."

"It's nice to meet you Will. I'm glad Reed was able to get you here in one piece." _What kind of a name was Reed Hummel anyway?_ "Now, I'm sure he explained things to you, but there may still be some things you need explained."

The man spoke to him while they played pinochle. He introduced himself as Chiron and the other man as Mr D. Since he kept his name short, Will assumed it was because his name was hard to say. He explained that the greek gods were real, and how they sometimes had children. It was more a miracle that Will listened the whole time. It was surprisingly easy for him to grasp and accept, possibly due to his age. Even the fact that Mr D was a god didn't phase him.

"Well, I suppose it's time to take you to cabin 11."

"I could do it!" Lee volunteered quickly. Will felt his heart race for some reason.

Chiro chuckled. "You're free to walk with us, but I need to stretch my legs." _What?_ He started rising out of his wheelchair. Then he kept rising and rising... _Oh_. Instead of legs, he had the body of a horse. Will could accept that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i overshared a bit there didn't i? Anyways. 
> 
> i love Lee and have Many headcanons. sorry about the abrupt ending. i kida just wanted to get this posted and start working on the next chapter?


	2. there are so many cabins. are any of them actually interesting?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gets to meet other campers, Lee gets teased about his crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> about the warning: technically Lee is a major character in this. which, you know. :(
> 
> and i am once again hit with the fact that will likes star wars while i do Not. Probably has more to do with _how_ i was introduced to them but still. i guess i have to pull up a wiki or something.  
> Would people be okay if i just skipped over every star wars reference he could make?

Lee's hands were nice. Sure, he had calluses from archery and playing musical instruments, but they were warm and he didn't swing his arm too much. Not that Mr Hummel had bad hands, or that his mother did, but the satyr's hands were cold. Plus, Will could feel his discomfort while he wore pants to hide his legs. Lee was much more comfortable in many ways.

"Would you like me to explain each cabin as we go?" Chiron asked. Will nodded, but he wasn't really listening. He was watching campers pass them as they walked. Some were playing basketball together, which looked fun. Others were still practicing archery.

One of the archery teachers looked at them and walked over, her long blond hair swaying back and forth in it's ponytail. "Lee," she frowned, hazel eyes narrowing.

"Hey Celeste..." Lee rubbed the back of his neck. Will gave his hand a squeeze. "I know, I _should_ be helping, but-"

"A new camper then?" Celeste turned her eyes to Will. He tried to hind behind Lee again. She sighed and shook her head. "Can you believe him, Chiron?"

"I don't mind the help with younger ones." Chiron smiled, but he seemed to get it. "I simply wish his reason wasn't a silly crush."

Lee's face turned redder than a tomato and his heart raced. "It's not- Wait a minute! I don't-" His voice cracked. Will gave his hand another squeeze.

"Oh relax, Lee. It's not like we're gonna tell everyone."

He pointed to Will. Who would Will tell though? He didn't have any information or people to tell. He glanced up at Chiron, who looked amused. "I doubt Will understands what's going on. But, I suppose we should spare you for the time being."

Lee whined. He was still embarrassed. "Alright, I'll tell you what." Celeste sighed turning back her students. "I'll let you off the hook so long as you _personally_ see to the training of this one."

"Your counselor has spoken."

Lee mumbled that he hated them both. He didn't. Will could tell. Celeste walked away and went to one of the younger kids to correct their stance.

"How long have you known anyway?" Lee frowned at Chiron. The centaur simply smiled. "My boy," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're not very good at hiding it."

If Lee could have gotten any redder he would have. He squeezed Will's hand. They started walking again, reaching the cabins. Will had trouble keeping track of all the gods as they walked, and it confused him that they were only walking past the even numbers for a minute.

When they reached cabin 2, Lee started fixing his hair. A lot. Will kind of understood why. He'd done the same thing on Valentine's day before he gave a card to Lemon Haywood. (The girl seemed to think it was a sign of friendship and had later asked him to give a card to his cousin for her. Not a pleasant memory for Will.) "Fixing your hair over and over ain't gonna make them notice you any more than they already do."

Lee, who's cheeks had stayed slightly pink, sighed and dropped his hand. "I really am that obvious, huh?"

"Yes."

"Yup."

"Great." he hung his head and sighed. He glanced over at the cabin and frowned. "You know, I don't really like this cabin. Something about it."

Chiron sighed. "Hera's cabin is just as important as the others. Even if it's never occupied." He paused to explain who Hera was. Lee continued to frown. He almost seemed to figure out exactly _why_ he hated the cabin.

They carried on. Will had shied away from the Zeus cabin pretty quickly. Something about it had made him want to run and hide. A feeling he got from it perhaps. It was the only one that had gotten such a strong reaction out of him, which Lee took note of.

"You know, we're not really supposed to guess who your godly parent is," Chiron gave him a look, "but it's probably a safe bet to say you aren't one of Zeus'."

The next cabin that got a reaction was cabin 7. Chiron hadn't even gotten done explaining Ares when it caught his eye. Golden walls that seemed to shine with their own light. Yellow flowers that soaked up every ray of sun from the windows and around the base. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

"You like it?" Lee asked when he noticed Will staring. "That's my cabin. You know, since I'm a son of Apollo."

Will mouthed the name. The name echoed in his head for a moment. "Which one is he?" he looked up at Lee. The teen was smirking with a sparkle in his eye like he knew something. He seemed to take a moment to realize Will had asked about the god.

"Oh! Right! Uh... about dad..." Chiron seemed to enjoy letting him flounder. "Well, he's the god of light, the sun, music, art, poetry, plague, healing, prophecy..." Lee's voice trailed. "He's the god of a lot of things. It's a wonder he has time to have all the kids he does."

He was giving Will that look again. Like he'd figured something out and was waiting for everyone else to catch on.

Chiron cleared his throat. "I believe it is time we carried on?"

They followed after him, Lee growing more nervous the closer they got to cabin 11. Will himself was starting to feel nervous. At last they reached it. There were a few campers hanging out around and inside. One boy was sleeping in the middle of the floor, snoring loudly. A few took notice of them, quickly bowing respectfully at Chiron. One older teen with blond hair and blue eyes smiled at them and walked over.

His hair was paler than Will's own, and his eyes a less vibrant blue. "Hey Chiron. Lee. Bringing by a new camper?" he smiled at Will. Lee squeezed Will's hand. _Oh,_ so that was who he had a crush on.

"Yes, though I have to go. Master archery class will be starting soon." Chiron said, gently patting Will's head before trotting away.

"Regular or undetermined?" someone asked.

"Undetermined." Lee's voice cracked. His face was getting red again. "Though I suspect not for long." He mumbled that last bit, which confused Will. Though Will didn't understand the difference between undetermined and regular so he couldn't say much. The cabin groaned collectively and the guy rolled his eyes at them.

"I see. Well, there's always room for one more." he smiled. Will liked that smile. He could understand why Lee had a crush on him. A giant crush by the way Lee's heart skipped a beat when the guy stepped closer. "I'm Luke."

"Skywalker?" _Ah._ Of course his brain jumped right to Star Wars. A few campers laughed, at least. Including Luke. Lee giggled too and his heart skipped a beat again. _He_ _had it bad._ Will hadn't even known guys could like guys before, but now he _definitely_ knew.

"No, Castellan actually." Luke offered a hand. "How about you?"

Will cautiously reached out and shook his hand. "Will Solace." The cabin went quiet. They all looked at Lee, prompting Will to look as well. Lee looked a little surprised himself.

"Yeah, real subtle dad." Will heard him mumble under his breath. "What a cool last name." he smiled. Everyone went back to what they were doing.

Luke let his hand go and gestured for him to enter. "Well, with a name like that, I'm sure you'll get claimed really quick."

He didn't really understand what that meant. "Claimed?"

"Yeah. Like, your godly parent says your their kid. Until then, you'll stay here." Luke explained as he lead Will inside. Lee stayed at the door, watching. Luke was so careful to explain everything as he gave Will a nice spot in the corner. Apparently the cabin would fill up when summer rolled around.

Will checked everything in his bag as he got the spot to look as comfortable as possible. Everything was still there as far as he could tell. He considered getting out the sunscreen Mr Hummel had bought him a while back, but he really didn't feel like he needed it. He rarely got sunburn. He actually didn't remember ever getting sunburnt.

Luke gently took the bag and tucked it under the nearby bunk. "For safe keeping." he explained with a wink. "No one touch his stuff, okay? He's only like... I wanna say 7."

Some of the campers pouted, some laughed. Will blushed. Sure, he was on the short side, but he didn't think he was that short. "I'm 8..." A few of the older campers looked sorry for him. Like they hadn't realized just how young he actually was.

"Must be a powerful demigod for your satyr to bring you at such a young age." Luke was trying to make him feel better. It wasn't working. Will knew exactly why he'd been brought. He rubbed his arm uncomfortably before returning to Lee's side.

Will wished he didn't have to stay in such a crowded cabin. Or, at the very least, he wished he could have his own bed. Summer was so close, and it already felt like there were too many people in the cabin.

He took Lee's hand again. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is... eh. I'm running on 4 hours of sleep and should Not be writing.


	3. training isn't as fun as i thought. even with swords.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will tries out a few different things.  
> He's not really good at any of them.  
> Also, Lee drools over Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah i'm writing fast. last chapter was a bit short tho. And i'm kinda just... ending chapters where it feels right. Anyways, don't expect me to keep that up cause it'll hurt you.
> 
> Note: Chapters are getting edited as i write. mostly minor edits like grammar

Will cursed his weak arms. It took them so long to find a bow he could use, and he was only barely strong enough to use it. His first try ended with him letting go too early and the arrow landing in the dirt. Only his second day in camp and they already had something to tease him over. His archery sucked.

Lee said he'd get better once he had the strength for it. He also kept trying to cheer him up with "at least you hit the target" as though it were some great achievement. Everyone else he saw practice archery were hitting the center each time.

"Don't compare yourself to them." Lee frowned. "They're members of my cabin, and they've been practicing for way longer than you. We just... we'll keep working on it."

Will dropped his bow instead of knocking another arrow. "No! No more! My arms hurt!" he kicked it away.

The guilt settled in immediately. Lee was just trying to help. The bow hadn't done anything to him. _He was despicable. He didn't deserve the special attention._ Lee sighed and picked up the bow. "Alright. I think it's time to take a break. Let's dry up those tears and get you some water."

Will wiped his cheeks quickly. He hadn't even noticed he started crying. He cried too easily. He didn't even have a good reason.

"Hey, it's okay. We all get frustrated." Lee said, walking him to a nice shady spot. "I cry when I get frustrated too."

He was trying to make Will feel better. What was really surprising was that it was working. He started picking the grass. Lee offered a bottle of water. Mumbling a thanks, he took a drink.

So far, none of the things they'd done had really worked out for Will. The music lessons had gone horribly, and the arts and crafts couldn't hold his attention. Next he was supposed to be doing sword training, which was much more appealing. He doubted he'd be any good at it. He wasn't really good at anything.

"What are those?" Will finally said after a minute, pointing to the beads on Lee's necklace. He only had two, but Will was curious. He'd seen a few other campers with them, Luke and Annabeth had three. Celeste had four, but she kept hers on her wrist rather than around her neck.

Lee smiled. "Oh, these are camp beads. This one, the centaur in a prom dress? That was my first summer. And this one-"

"How do you get them?" Will thought they were cool. The tiny images seemed to be telling stories.

"Well, they're given to every camper at the end of summer. The counselors choose what event from the summer gets painted onto the beads, to remind us of what they feel was the most important event of the summer." Lee smiled. "I kinda wish they had something more for year-rounders like us though." He shook his head. "Ah well. Maybe when I become counselor, I'll come up with something fun."

"Maybe year rounders can..." Will paused to think. He had an idea, he did. He just couldn't remember... "write songs for the campfire?"

Lee lit up. Literally. He may not have even noticed, but Will noticed the faint glow coming off his skin. Or was it through his skin? "Oh I like that idea. Or! We could make like... Pins!"

"And we can all work on them together!"

"Aren't you two supposed to be training?"

Lee would probably been ashamed of the shrill sound he made, had Will not made a similar one that stunned both older campers for a moment. " _Holy shit_ , kid. You can be _loud._ " Celeste said while trying to get her ears to pop. "Jesus."

"That poser-" Some campers started before she pulled an arrow out of her quiver. "Finish that sentence. Go ahead." They did not.

"Are we sure you're not an Ares kid?" Lee laughed. He was a bit loud, but seemed alright. Celeste rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry." Will bowed his head.

"You're fine. Just go do... something."

Lee looked like he had an idea and stood up. Will followed after him. Celeste seemed relieved to watch them go. Honestly, Will was too. Archery really wasn't his thing.

"Hey Lee, Will. Just in time for the beginner's class." Luke said when he saw them walk into the arena. Will gave Lee a look before walking over to where the other young campers were. Lee pretended not to notice. Several of them had already been in the lessons for a while. Will could tell by the way the rolled their eyes at him, and their posture. He was probably the youngest person there.

Lee stood to the side to watch. Luke took a minute to show them the move he was teaching before having them pick their practice swords. None of them felt right in Will's hand. Luke tried to help him find one, but in the end he just had to take a random one.

They very quickly realized Will was not good with a sword. He really did try, but he was just as much a danger to himself as the other campers. Even with Luke giving him extra attention.

The worst part was when one of the undetermined campers disarmed him without even trying and got claimed by Ares. The act hadn't even been one worthy of praise, but Ares seemed to just want to kick Will while he was down. while everyone was cheering for the Ares kid, Will walked back to the weapons rack and put his sword away.

"Well. At least we learned a few things." Lee tried. "Like how you're a real danger with a sword! And definitely not an Ares kid."

"Somehow that don't make me feel better." Will deadpanned. With a sigh he looked over the other weapons they had. None of them looked like they'd fit with him. Not even the daggers.

He ended up training with Annabeth for a while so he could at least defend himself if he ever ended up in close quarters with a monster. By the time he'd had enough, he found Lee sitting nearby ogling Luke. He was lucky Luke hadn't noticed.

"You're drooling."

"Am not!" Lee quickly defended himself, but his face was completely red. He'd been caught. They both knew it. "How'd it go?"

He looked at the dagger Annabeth had given him. "Well, she said I ain't completely hopeless." That was, of course, only after he'd managed to disarm her once. Only once.

"Hmm... Maybe..."

"Can we just," Will interrupted, "not do any more of this stuff?" He felt it was pretty obvious he wasn't any good in a fight. Lee nodded. It seemed they both had come to accept it.

Lee let him finish the day with fun stuff after lunch. He found he enjoyed canoeing more than volleyball or basketball, but he didn't hate the other two. That wasn't to say he was good at any of them, he was exceptionally bad at basketball. At least he didn't have to try using a bow again that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do you end a chapter


	4. nightmares suck. at least camp is a safe place, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has a nightmare, Luke comforts him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the eternal struggle of wanting to hurry up and get to the canon parts vs. my need to work through a child's first year at camp
> 
> tw: implied child abuse

" _Luke._ "

The counselor rolled over.

" _Luke._ " He cracked his eyes open, trying to figure out what was going on. The cabin was still dark, most of the campers were still sleeping, Clovis still snoring away in the middle of the room. Will watched him slowly look around for a moment before spotting him kneeling beside his bed. He looked thoroughly confused.

"Will?" he was shushed. _"What's going on?"_

 _"I had a bad dream..."_ Will explained in whispers. _"Clovis woke me up and told me to talk to you."_

It was the strangest thing too. Clovis didn't wake up for anything except food. They were all well aware of that by then, but somehow, him waking up to rouse a camper out of a bad dream made sense. Luke shifted to face Will better. _"Well, I'm up now. Tell me about it."_

Will looked at his feet for a moment, wringing his hands. He chewed on his lip for a good moment before he spoke. _"My uncle came to camp. He was really mad at me..."_

_"Why was he mad at you?"_

_"Because I ran away... Because I didn't..."_ The words caught in his throat. Unfortunately for Luke, it wasn't something Will could just say. Will hadn't even told his protector. He couldn't even really think about it without crying.

_"Didn't what?"_

Will stared at the floor for a beat. Then another. He could trust Luke. Luke wouldn't hate him. _"Didn't help my ma..."_ he managed. He couldn't be more specific. He was already close to tears just from that much. Luke looked like he wanted to push, but decided against it.

_"What else happened?"_

_"He grabbed me... said we were going home. That I couldn't come back... He hurt Lee cause he tried to stop him..."_ He was trying so hard not to cry. Despite it having only been a dream, his arm still hurt. He rubbed it without really thinking. _"You were there too... but Chiron held you back. Said uncle Max was too strong..."_

 _"Sounds like a really bad dream."_ Will nodded. _"It's just a dream though. Mortals can't get in."_

 _"What about monsters?"_ Will's voice had gotten even quieter. Had Luke not been listening so attentively, he would have missed it.

_"Will... do you think your uncle's a monster?"_

_"That's what Mr Hummel called him..."_ Will mumbled carefully. _"I guess... he acts like one, sometimes."_

_"What do you mean?"_

Will was chewing on his lip again. _"I don't want to talk about it."_

Luke frowned. _"Will, does your uncle hurt you?"_ Will didn't answer. It didn't sound like he was asking because he didn't know, but rather like he was looking for confirmation. Will's silence must have been enough. _"Will... you know he's not allowed to do that, right?"_

He nodded. Mr Hummel had made sure to tell him that, but the subject made him uncomfortable. He didn't like to think about what that meant. That his uncle was a bad person. _"Did you tell your mother about it?"_

He shook his head. _"Why not?"_

 _"She died."_ He missed her too. Was that a good enough reason to cry? He hoped it was since he couldn't hold it back anymore. Luke looked at him sadly, as though he'd expected that kind of answer.

 _"Do you need a hug?"_ Will nodded and crawled into Luke's bed. He was shaking like a leaf as Luke draped his blanket over him. The feeling of Luke's heartbeat was soothing, but he also seemed exhausted. It was probably a lot of work to take care of so many kids.

 _Had Luke answered his question?_ He remembered asking if monsters could get into camp, but he couldn't remember if he'd answered. He might have tried asking if Luke hadn't already fallen back to sleep. He would just have to ask again in the morning, he decided.

The problem was... he couldn't get back to sleep. After laying in silence for a while, he felt tempted to get up. _Why was it so quiet?_ He glanced over his shoulder. Surprisingly, Clovis had walked over to them. The boy stared at them for a long moment before gently brushing Will's hair out of his face.

Will would have asked why he did that if he didn't drift off almost immediately after.


	5. archery isn't so bad. wait, what just happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> summer begins and someone gets claimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now i'm starting to slow down. Anyways, here's Michael.
> 
> Also!! i figured out a timeline that makes sense for me.
> 
> current ages that are relevant because you might want them: Lee(14), Luke(17), Will(8), Michael and Clarisse(12), Annabeth(10)  
> I don't know how old other people are. When is annabeth's birthday anyways? I feel like it'd be in April but idk.

Will had to admit, camp was more exciting as the summer kids started showing up. He wasn't happy about how loud camp got, but during meals and the campfire it was amazing. The way the Apollo cabin would make the fire seem warmer just by singing, and how the Aphrodite cabin could get even the Ares kids to dance.

Sure, it was fun before, but it had been taken up a notch by them being there. Even being one of the youngest campers there, he made friends. It was hard for him to believe it at first. People wanting to spend time with him? It sounded fake to him, but it was real.

There was one new kid, Michael, that he especially liked. It wasn't even that Michael did anything to get him to like him. He was loud and picked fights and sometimes he walked away in the middle of a conversation.

Will was drawn to him. Michael didn't seem to mind though. In fact, he seemed to like having a duckling following him around.

"You've gotta be an Ares kid." Lee mumbled as he patched him up. "I haven't seen anybody else in here this much, and it's only your third day."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Aren't you supposed to wait until I'm claimed to say that stuff, pretty boy?"

"Don't call me pretty." Lee glared at him.

"Are you guys fighting?" They both stopped and looked at Will. They both looked apologetic. Lee, of course, knew Will had issues with fighting. Michael himself had found out the hard way by getting in a fight with Clarisse and spending an hour trying to find him.

"No. He's just upset because Clarisse beat him up again." Michael glared at Lee for that one. "Seriously though. Don't call me pretty."

"Whatever. Can we do something else? I haven't even gotten to try out archery cause your dumb siblings filled up the range."

"You're the one that got into fights rather than going to training."

Will tugged at the hem of Lee's shirt. "I wanna go to archery practice with Michael. I've gotten better." That got Lee to smile.

"Never thought I'd see the day you asked to go to archery practice." Lee smirked. Will rolled his eyes and smiled at Michael. He seemed excited to go with them. "Alright. But if Celeste and the others are there, we'll have to wait our turn."

Michael rolled his eyes while Will nodded. Lee turned to the other kid in the infirmary. "Robyn, take care of things here while we're out?"

"Just go before you and Michael get into it again." they said without looking at them. They hadn't even looked up from what they were doing as the trio headed out. Will was always confused by Robyn. They put pink highlights in their hair, they almost never left the infirmary and they didn't speak to anyone outside of their cabin casually.

Pushing them from his mind, he frowned at the Apollo kids. Sure, some of them were working on their music, but they didn't need the whole cabin to take over the archery range. Celeste noticed them and walked over.

"Well, there's someone I haven't seen for lessons before." She smiled. "What's your name, kid?"

"Michael." he crossed his arms and looked annoyed. Will took hold of Lee's hand.

"Got a last name, Mike?"

Michael didn't look like he knew how to react to being called Mike. "Uh... Yew."

The campers stopped and looked at him. Will looked just as confused as Michael. After a beat two of them moved out of the way. "Michael and Will can practice over here."

Will smiled at them and helped Michael pick a bow. He glanced back at Lee for a moment, who seemed to be glaring at the sky. That was odd, but he turned back to Michael. He looked as confused as Will felt. "They're all staring..."

"Uh... Should we just..." Will picked at the bow string for a moment. Michael nodded and watched Will shoot first. He was nervous since everyone was watching. The arrow completely missed and one of the children of Demeter shrieked as it just missed. "S-sorry..." his face went red and he lowered his bow. There was no way Michael believed he'd ever practiced before now.

The sound of an arrow hitting the target got him to look up from his feet. It looked like someone from cabin seven had finally decided to stop watching and go, except... He turned to Michael and his jaw dropped.

Michael was surrounded by golden light, a lyre symbol above his head and a proud smirk on his face. "Not bad for my first try, eh kid?" his smile dropped a bit. "What? Is there something behind me?"

He started looking around. Celeste walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Welcom to cabin 7, Michael Yew, son of Apollo."

Lee sighed, but seemed okay with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first chapter of the new year. idk how it normally goes when campers are claimed but i just took a guess.
> 
> maybe Clarisse will actually have a role in the next one? these chapters kinda write themselves more than i write them tho


	6. capture the flag isn't as fun as i thought. at least one good thing came out of it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's a capture the flag game but the author doesn't remember how capture the flag works and instead skips to a scene in the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll put this here because i forgot to mention it, but also because i just plain forgot about some things in canon (it's been a while) but i had Annabeth already know the prophecy (you know the one) but Luke hasn't gone on his quest yet.
> 
> bit of an oopsie but i don't wanna fix it.

Will was decidedly nervous about capture the flag. For one thing, he wasn't much of a fighter yet. Annabeth got him to a point that he could disarm her somewhat reliably, and his archery had improved, but up against the Ares cabin? There was no way.

What was worse, they were up against the Apollo cabin too. He didn't want to go against Lee or Michael, and it seemed like Lee didn't want to go against the Hermes cabin. He didn't really understand it though. Some kind of sleight between them and the Aphrodite cabin that Will couldn't understand.

"Who are we teamed with?" he asked Annabeth, since he knew he could always ask her.

"I'm not on your team Will." she huffed. He looked at his feet, feeling sorry for even asking. Then she sighed, "Aphrodite has teamed up with Hermes, Hephaestus and Dionysus. Apollo teamed up with Ares, Athena and Demeter."

"Thank you." he mumbled.

She watched him for a good minute. "This is gonna be your first game, isn't it? Since we don't like to play without the summer kids here." He nodded. "Well... Stick with Luke. Do what he tells you. He'll keep you safe."

She seemed to look up to him a lot. It was similar to the way Lee looked at him. But also different. He couldn't explain it, even to himself. He decided not to dwell on it.

When the time came, Luke helped him get into his armor. It was awkward and definitely didn't fit him, but it was the best they could do. He would have sat out if he hadn't been so determined to join. He wanted to show everyone how good he'd gotten. Luke said Annabeth had been the same. He wasn't sure how to feel about that comparison.

"Castor, Pollux, you two guard the flag. Connor, Travis and Will are on border. If there's any trouble, call for help." Luke ordered as they headed into the forest. "If you need back-up, call for me. Don't try to be heroes."

Will glanced over at Castor and Pollux. He didn't know them all too well, hadn't even spoken to them personally, but they looked like they could handle guard duty. As to whether he could handle border patrol...

His confidence had deflated upon seeing Clarisse in her armor. She was only a few years older than him, but her armor actually fit. Plus she had a wicked looking spear. All of the Ares children were terrifying, really. It was a wonder why he'd actually thought joining was a good idea.

* * *

They were crushed. Not literally, but emotionally. Will had done alright for the most part. Clarisse had caught him off guard at one point and he ended up breaking her nose on accident. They'd both ended up in the infirmary after that, him for getting shocked by her spear. He couldn't really be mad about it.

"Please let me help!" He asked Lee again.

"No Will," he said before Clarisse could jump in. "You're hurt too. Besides, this is more a job for healers."

Clarisse was glaring a hole through Lee's shirt while he checked her nose. "I thing he's done-"

"No talking, please." Lee reminded her.

"Please!" Even Chiron looked his way that time. "I spent most of the game doing nothing... I wanna help."

Lee sighed and took a step back. "Alright. Can you hold this ice pack in place while I get some ambrosia?"

Clarisse started to protest, but the switch had already happened. Will held the ice pack and Lee got up. It didn't feel like he was doing enough though. He'd been the one to actually break her nose, and he'd seen them heal campers from worse things...

He could tell Clarisse was in pain too. And she looked so angry. _Maybe I can..._ he thought for a moment. He hadn't tried since his mother, but maybe it would work better this time.

He closed his eyes and focused. It was hard to find it at first, the pool of warm energy inside his chest, but he found it. He didn't know how much of his own energy he needed, but his instincts did. It was different from the last time he'd tried. He didn't need to rely on his own energy as much.

"Will, what the- What the hell did you just do?" Clarisse asked.

 _What had he done?_ He blinked at her for a moment. He was a little light headed and he suddenly felt a lot more tired.

"Oh my gods..." Robyn muttered from off to the side. Chatter in the infirmary had all but died. Will was confused. Why would everyone go so quiet all of a sudden? Had someone been claimed?

He glanced around. A lot of people were staring at him. With a gasp, he quickly looked over his head to see if there was a symbol there. He couldn't really see what it was, but the color was a dead giveaway.

"I knew it!" Lee cheered from behind him. His voice had cracked during the cheer, but his face was full of delight. "Oh- Can I hug you? Please say I can!"

Will just barely nodded when Lee scooped him up and danced around the infirmary for a moment. He froze when Chiron cleared his throat. "Hail, Will Solace, son of Apollo."

It finally sunk in for Will. It wasn't a dream. He wasn't there by mistake. His father was a god, and he'd just claimed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't remember how capture the flag works, but it makes sense to me to have cabins challenging other cabins to games. Especially right at the beginning of summer.
> 
> maybe it works slightly different if one cabin challenges another. it makes sense to me. anyways, i should actually figure out an update schedule that isn't "when the chapter is finished".


	7. what's worse than a regular nightmare? a prophetic one, that's what.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> will's first night in the apollo cabin does not go great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should actually plan out chapters instead of just writing whatever i feel like.
> 
> at least i'm having fun.

Will was glad he didn't have to walk into the Apollo cabin. His legs probably would have given out underneath him. Lee had chosen to carry him and Michael went to get his things from the Hermes cabin.

"It's just wild man," Owen mumbled as he walked next to them. "I mean, usually dad claims us when we practice archery or play some good tunes. It's never healing."

"Maybe it's because dad blessed him with strong healing powers." Alisson mumbled, glancing at Robyn. Robyn simply shrugged. Lyric skipped alongside them. "At least I'm not the youngest in the cabin anymore."

"He's only two years younger than you."

Will was starting to feel overwhelmed. He burried his face in Lee's shoulder. Sure, he knew that Apollo had a lot of kids, but it was different seeing and being with them. The cabin wouldn't be as crowded as cabin 11, but it also wasn't going to be like the Hephaestus cabin, with only 5 members so they each could easily occupy the same space. Plus, cabin 7 was notoriously loud and chaotic due to the different talents.

One of them poked his cheek. Probably one of the girls, since he could feel her nails. "Hey, you doing good little guy?" she asked. Aileen, if he had to guess.

He peeked out at her, meeting her dark eyes for a moment before hiding his face again. "He _did_ just get 12 siblings," Lee pointed out, "he's probably pretty overwhelmed right now." He didn't know how right he was.

He could hear when they entered the cabin. Then Lee flopped onto a bed. Will shifted a bit in his arms, getting more comfortable. Lee sighed. "Ah... My ribs hurt."

"Take your binder off then."

Will could almost hear Celeste roll her eyes at Lee, but... what did that mean? He slowly lifted his head to look at Lee. He was staring at the ceiling. "Did I forget to take it off before capture the flag again?"

"At least he didn't fall asleep in it again." One of the sisters said. Will couldn't keep track anymore. Had Alisson spoken up? He wasn't sure anymore. He was still a bit dizzy from healing Clarisse. Which apparently he shouldn't have been able to do.

"Robyn, come take Will."

"No." They replied immediately. "I'm braiding hair right now." Someone giggled.

Hands slipped underneath him and he was lifted off Lee. He almost panicked until he was set on the bottom bunk of the closest bed. He glanced up at Celest, who looked almost bored. "Why my bunk?"

"Shut it, Michael. Bring his stuff over here. Lee, get a change of clothes before you go in there. And for dad's sake, _take a shower._ " She said as she went to a desk in the corner of the cabin.

"You can't make me do anything!" Lee called back as he sat up. He still got his toiletries and pajamas out of his chest though. "Also, we should point out the available bunks to Will so he can pick one for himself."

"Can he sleep under me?" Lyric said excitedly as Robyn worked on her hair. "I sleep under you." they reminded her, earning a sheepish smile.

Michael handed Will his bag and he pulled it to his chest. Celeste walked back over holding a sticker with his name on it. Michael flopped down next to him with a huff. "Just put him in the bunk over Lucas."

"No way! I like to use both bunks!"

Will glanced around, ignoring the arguing going on. The cabin was nice, he thought. There was a relatively empty bookshelf against one wall, and several potted flowers. There was one pot of flowers that, unlike the others, were purple and red. Something about them reminded him of his mother. He fought the urge to cry.

"Hey," Celeste gently touched his shoulder, an action that was almost unnatural for her. "You wanna sleep under Lee? I know how close you two are."

That sounded perfect. He would have preferred a top bunk, but the idea that Lee would be nearby was enough. He nodded and slipped off of Michael's bed.

Lee emerged from the bathroom, hair still wet and holding his toothbrush. "Did he pick?" He asked before noticing Celeste leading him to his bunk. "Oh. Cool. Hope you don't mind me keeping my CD collection under there."

"Just put your CDs in the bookshelf!" Celeste glared at him. He smiled and said no before returning to the bathroom. Celeste rolled her eyes. "He drives me crazy."

Will put his stuff in his chest, then pulled out his own pajamas. Well, they weren't really his. Luke had given them to him saying he got them from the camp's lost-and-found. "Any particular color of sheets and stuff you want?"

"Purple." he mumbled. It was still his favorite color. He did like the yellow theme of the cabin though. He glanced at the bathroom, watching Lee finish brushing his teeth and picking up his various earrings. There was a mark he could just barely see on Lee's shoulder. It looked like the tip of an arrow. He'd ask about it later.

"Let Will go next. He just healed a broken nose so he's probably tired." Celeste said as Lee stepped out. "Robyn, Finish up with Lyric so she can go next." Will tuned her out as he slipped into the bathroom.

* * *

Will bolted upright in bed. Where was he? Why couldn't he hear Clovis snoring?

 _Oh,_ he remembered. Glancing around, he was able to pick out who was snoring. Michael was the loudest, then Lucas and Alisson. Lee's foot was dangling over the edge of his bunk, which Will wasn't all that surprised at.

He crawled out of bed and climbed the ladder. Lee looked so peaceful, his mouth slightly open, hair over his eyes. Will could just barely see his freckles in the dark. _"Lee,"_ he whispered. When that got no response, he tried again.

Lee snorted before shifting slightly. Frowning, Will poked his nose. That got him to wake up. He looked around, clearly confused, before blinking at Will. _"Will?"_ he sat up a bit. _"What are you doing? It's like... five in the fucking morning."_

_"That's a bad word."_

_"What the fu- I'm sorry, why did you wake me up?"_ Lee rubbed his eyes and yawned. Will bit his lip. _"I had a bad dream."_

That Lee seemed to understand, making room for Will. He gestured for him to take the newly freed space and Will was all to happy to. Lee held him and closed his eyes for a moment. Will was starting to think he'd gone back to sleep when he whispered, _"okay. What did you dream about?"_

 _"Well... Celeste went on a quest with Luke and Renee... but Luke came back alone. He had a really bad cut on his face."_ Lee's heartbeat was uneven.

_"Cut?"_

_"Yeah... right under his right eye down to his jaw."_ Something about that seemed to unsettle Lee. _"Why?"_

 _"It's probably nothing. Just a bad dream."_ Lee was lying. Will couldn't even tell what about or why, just that he had. _"Don't worry about it."_

But worry about it he did. Even as the others started waking up for the sunrise. Lee told him not to tell the others about it, so he didn't, but something didn't sit right.

"Alright." Celeste broke him out of his thoughts. "Today we're gonna be finding out what gifts Will got from dad. Clearly he can heal but we need to find out any others he might have."

"Like glowing?"

"What?" they all looked at him. It was like he'd just suggested he could grow wings and fly. "Will, no one glows."

"Lee does." They looked at Lee, who shook his head. "I saw it..." They clearly didn't believe him. If he could glow, he wanted to figure out how. That would be proof that he wasn't making it up. So he tried between each activity. Like those other activities, he failed to show any sign of the gift all day.

The oddest thing was the way Lee kept looking at him and Celeste. As though his dream was also on his mind. Will was just about to ask him about it when Chiron announced that a quest had been called.

Luke had a quest, and Celeste decided to join him. Even with Lee and Will telling her not to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am once again confused as to how you end a chapter.


	8. if i can have a sonic whistle, what's so unbelievable about being able to glow?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> will and lee discover powers they didn't know about and the cabin bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reasonably, Robyn should be the head counselor, being older than Lee, but they don't work well with others.

Lee was trying so hard to be a good counselor, that much was obvious. It wasn't easy of course. The twins refused to listen to anyone but Robyn and Michael was only interested in combat training and archery.

Will was still trying to find his skills besides healing, which they found him to be especially good at. He was only slightly better than some with a bow, and his musical skills were... lacking. He could play instruments, sure, but only as good as a normal person just picking up the instrument could. His singing was also at the level you'd expect of an 8 year old, if only slightly better.

There was one thing the figured out he could do. It happened when they were watching a canoe race. Lee was participating with Lucas against the other cabins' teams. They were cheering them on gleefully when someone from cabin 6 let out a loud taxi whistle for Annabeth and one of her siblings. (Will never learned their name.)

"How'd they do that?" he asked, eyes sparkling. Michael didn't seem to hear him, but Owen and Alisson quickly turned to him, grinning.

"It's easy." Owen glanced at Alisson while she demonstrated. He explained each step as she went and then she whistled.

Michael looked at them. "Why are you guys looking at Will?"

"We were teaching him how to whistle." Alisson smiled.

"Oh yeah?"

They nodded and looked at Will. He tried out what they suggested, resulting in nothing. He frowned but Michael encouraged him to try again. They'd officially stopped paying attention to the race.

His second try worked. A little too well. It was louder than even he could stand. The cheering all but stopped and those who weren't stunned by the noise were looking around for who'd done that.

"Holy _shit_ , kid." Michael said, a little louder than normal. Alisson and Owen asked what he'd said a bit louder than he did.

Will felt his face get hot and he tried to shrink in on himself. Robyn started laughing. "I think we found one of your powers, kiddo."

"Please never do that again!" someone called out earning more laughter.

It took everything in Will to not run off to his hiding spot right then. It wasn't like he'd meant to do it in the first place. The one good thing was that no one was mad at him. Lee seemed proud when they met up after the race, even though they lost.

It turned into a bonding moment for the cabin. Everyone wanted to find out what sounds he could amplify, and if he needed to make the sound or if someone else could.

After an hour they learned a bit. He got dizzy if he used it too much, and his ears started ringing, which was why they stopped. He thought it was nice that they were so interested in his powers, and it was good to know that he could only amplify his own sounds. He actually wasn't sure what the power exactly was. At least he learned how to control it.

"Well, Celeste will be impressed when she gets back." Robyn smiled. Lee's smile dropped but the others started getting more excited.

"Yeah! She might even know other rare powers we can test him for!"

"Maybe he'll glow like Lee _supposedly_ does." Lucas was overall unimpressed. He seemed to be the only one, which Will found odd. Actually, he seemed almost jealous.

"Why don't y'all believe me?" Will frowned. "I _saw_ Lee glow."

Lee snapped back into the conversation. "I believe you saw _something,_ Will. But the idea of me glowing is just as unbelievable as the idea that I could..." he thought for a moment. "Make the light change color with the flick of my wrist."

He must have _intended_ to show that he couldn't do such a thing, but the light in the music room changed from soft yellow to a harsher, brighter color after he flicked his wrist.

They all winced at the light change and Lee gestured again to make it go back. He swallowed thickly. "I should probably talk to Chiron about that."

"Go then. I'll watch over the gremlins."

"What's a gremlin?" Will and Lyric asked. Brooke looked excited, but Kevin slapped a hand over her mouth. "You'll find out later, when we're sure you can handle it. Will is probably too young, and we can't watch it without this weirdo."

She let out a muffled argument, but was ignored. The moment Lee shut the door, she licked Kevin's hand and he shrieked. "You're disgusting! I have to go wash my hand now! Ew!" he cried as he dashed to the bathroom.

Brooke laughed. Robyn rolled their eyes. "You know you shouldn't do that. We just barely got him up to touching skin."

Brooke may have tried to argue, or apologize, but she along with several others froze up. Their eyes turned green and Will fearfully grabbed onto Lucas. "Don't worry. It's just a vision." He sounded... almost bitter.

The air was heavy when the vision ended. Robyn glanced around the group. "How about we watch a movie? Little Mermaid sound good to everyone?" They obviously didn't want to talk about what just happened.

Sierra jumped to her feet. "I'll get it!" So they watched the little mermaid. The mood didn't improve much though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love the idea of Lee and Will having light manipulation abilities. i think it's called photokenisis? Anyway, i need more ideas. maybe i'll have Clarisse bonding and Luke's return in the next chapter.


	9. people need to stop getting hurt, this infirmary is too busy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarisse visits the infirmary, Robyn talks to her and someone comes home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing is hard

"How do you do it?" Clarisse asked.

Confused, Will looked up from her leg. He glanced back down for a moment. "You mean wrap bandages? It's really not that-"

"No." She rolled her eyes and huffed. "I mean, how do you work in the infirmary every day like this? You and Robyn are constantly in here doing your... medic... thing. I don't get it."

He blinked at her. Sure, he was in a lot more, but that was only when Lee was working with Chiron. He shrugged. "It makes me feel useful."

She was quiet while he finished. "Well, you could be just as useful with a bow." She frowned and crossed her arms. Robyn snorted from the desk.

"You ain't seen me with a bow." he laughed it off. It was either look back and think of it as funny, or look back and be horrified at how bad he was. Funny was such a nice choice. "Besides, I like being able to heal. Just like how Michael likes being an archer, and Lucas likes being a musician. Right Byn?"

When he looked back at them, their brow was furrowed. Their expression switched so fast, he wasn't sure he'd actually seen it. "Yeah. Michael couldn't be happier with a bow in his hand. Unless he got an enchanted one like Lee has. Could you imagine him with a bow he could summon at any moment?"

"Chaos in the cabin!"

Clarisse shook her head. "Wait, Lee has a magic bow?"

Robyn looked hesitant. This was, after all, a very rare occurrence. "Yeah... You know that pin he always wears?" the two nodded. Will had even held it at one point. "Well, that's actually his bow." they gasped. "Yeah. I still can't believe he'd rather have a violin, but hey, I'm a healer for the most part."

"I'd rather have a spear." Robyn didn't look like they knew how to respond. "If Maimer could turn into a pin like that, it'd be awesome."

Will stared at his hands. He still had burn scars where he'd gotten zapped by that spear. He rubbed the spot on his arm.

"Sorry..." Clarisse mumbled. It was a soft side only shown to Will, probably because he was so young. He smiled at her.

She ruffled his hair and he giggled. "Can I get out of here now, little twerp?" He paused to think.

"Ibuprofen and come back if the pain gets worse."

"Right. Thanks, Lee." He smiled and moved to get the medicine before pausing. "Lee!"

Robyn and Lee started laughing. "I thought for sure Clarisse was gonna give me away!" he leaned foreward, holding his chest as he laughed.

"I see what you meant now about the puppy thing!" Robyn beamed. "He's adorable!"

Will's face got warm. He was embarrassed, but in a good way, he guessed. It didn't feel like he'd have to run and hide at least. Plus, Lee was glowing again. He needed someone else to see it.

He glanced at Clarisse. She was staring at Lee, brows furrowed like she was trying to figure something out. "Fletcher, are you... Are you _glowing_?"

 _She saw it!_ Lee stopped laughing, trying to catch his breath. "What? Apollo kids don't glow."

And it was gone. Will frowned. "But... I can alter sound, and you can do stuff with light... Why can't we glow?"

Lee quirked a brow. "Sure, there are rare powers like those, but no one's ever heard of a camper glowing like that."

Will wanted so bad to argue, but Annabeth burst through the doors of the infirmary.

"Luke's back!" She shouted. Lee had a wave of emotions cross his face as he turned to look at her. "He looks hurt!"

* * *

Will wasn't the fastest runner in camp. Especially not when compaired to the Hermes campers. Or Lee when he thought Luke might be hurt.

Lee had taken off so quickly he'd forgotten to grab a first aid kit. Usually he'd be better about it, but this was _Luke_ they were talking about.

"Luke! Olympus above, what happened? Wait, I need to-"

Luke glanced at Will as he approached. There was a bandage on his cheek that went feom under his eye to his jaw. Lee had peeled it back to take a look, but his hand was in the way so Will couldn't see. "I brought the first aid kit."

"Oh! Thank you, Will. I need-"

"To take a breath." Luke finished for him. Lee started to protest, but nodded and took a step back. "I should... the infirmary. Then I need to talk to Chiron."

Lee nodded again, looking around for a moment. Will looked as well. Luke was alone. "Y..." Lee wrung his hands. "They're dead." It wasn't a question. Luke gave him a pained look. "Lee I-"

"You promised you'd keep her safe!" Lee was near tears. "I _told_ you about that vision so you could save her!"

"I'm sorry."

Lee broke. Tears spilled from his eyes and he took several steps back. "I... I have to tell my cabin. Oh gods... I didn't... I wasn't supposed to..."

Chiron gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll speak later. For now we have to treat Luke's wounds and call a meeting with the other counselors."

He hung his head and grabbed his arms, as though it was the only way to hold himself together. Will could understand how he felt, he just wasn't as close to Celeste as him. The rest of the cabin would probably feel the same way, and Will would be there for them...

But gods did he hate funerals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to get this out sooner but i ended up binging a bunch of technoblade clips and my brain got attatched to "i have a pickaxe and i'll put it through your teeth" so...  
> anyways


	10. the end of summer draws near. let's try to make it till then.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some fighting happens. Will starts getting a crush on Annabeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end of his first summer approaches. i can probably start zooming through soon. i just hope i don't end up getting distracted by techno again...

It wasn't easy for either cabin that lost their counselor. Cabin 9 decided to just keep moving, one hammer strike after the other. Beckendorf (he hated being called Charles by anyone other than Selina) tried to keep them busy, help them move on.

Will felt bad for him. He was the same age as Michael, but he was looking after 3 siblings. Then again...

Lee was a wreck. Since it was confirmed that he was the head counselor, he'd been trying to get everyone to listen to him. To their credit, most of them tried, but if Robyn told them to do something, they were more likely to listen to them rather than Lee.

Then there was Lucas. He, Aileen and Kevin had been the only ones who didn't have a vision predicting Celeste's demise (not that Will was aware he'd actually _had_ one), and took it the hardest. He had become more openly bitter, refusing to listen to any one and often retreating to the fort he'd created out of his bunk bed. Chiron said he was mourning, to give him time. Will didn't feel like it was an excuse to be mean to everyone.

"Hey, Yew." Will and Michael looked over at Clarisse. "Not you, Yew- Nevermind! Your dumb brother is picking a fight with Pete, and if I get involved I'm beating him up."

"Ugh. Not again. I'm not dealing with Lucas." Michael rolled his eyes and drew his bow, letting his arrow split the one already there. He seemed proud. Clarisse even nodded in approval.

"I'll get him." Will said, taking his quiver off. He just wanted to make things easier for Lee. "Can you take me to them?" he asked, glancing at her spear. "Oh. Are they interrupting your practice?"

She huffed. "Yeah. I was thinking about zapping Calvert if he didn't shut up."

Will nodded as he followed after her. They could hear the fight before they could see it. Apparently the rest of the Ares children decided to cheer on their brother rather than split them up. At least they weren't helping.

"S-stop fighting!" Will shouted as he pushed past the crowd. Every instinct was telling him to go hide. "Lucas! Peter!"

They either didn't hear him, or didn't care. He tried to split them up with Clarisse's help. Instead of them stopping, Will got an elbow to the nose and Clarisse got shoved aside. She seemed ready to beat them both up for that, but Will was distracted. His nose was bleeding and it really hurt.

"Lucas! Peter! Seperate!" Chiron shouted. Lee shoved through the crowd and grabbed Lucas while one of Clarisse's sisters grabbed Peter.

"He started it!" Peter shouted back.

"Well we're ending it!" Lee glared at Lucas and Peter. "Everyone go back to practice, except these two. We're taking them to the big house."

The crowd dispersed. Will got up slowly, glancing at his hands, now covered in a layer of blood and dirt. He frowned and started over to Lee, who was still glaring at both boys. "Alright you two. Start walking."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Lucas spat back. "You're _not_ my counselor! And you _never_ will be!"

"I am-"

"No! Celeste is! And you'll never replace her!"

Lee looked like he'd been punched in the gut. The wound was still so fresh, even if he had seen it coming. Will felt angry for him. Angrier than he had when his uncle blamed him for what happened to his mother. So he kicked Lucas.

"Ow!" he cried and whirled on Will. "What the-"

"Just because you're sad she's gone doesn't mean you can be a jerk!" Will yelled at him. He was tired of all the fighting. Strangely, he didn't care if Lucas possibly broke his nose or that he'd started a fight with a son of Ares. He cared that he hurt Lee.

"Lee, please escort William to the infirmary. I'll take these two." Chiron said, pulling some gauze out of his bag. Lee nodded, taking the gauze roboticly and examining Will.

* * *

"I just can't believe him. Breaking his baby brother's nose." Robyn mumbled, "I mean, who does that?"

Lee just sighed, giving Will a square of ambrosia. "Eat that." he turned to their sibling. "He was in the middle of a fight. maybe he didn't notice Will."

"That's not an-"

"I know!" Lee snapped back. Robyn went silent. He looked apologetic. "Sorry... I just..."

"I get it." They sat next to Will and started running their fingers through his hair. He thought it fet nice. "You're struggling with the whole counselor situation. And I'm not helping since they listen to me more than you. Besides Will and Michael, but Michael doesn't listen to anyone."

Lee nodded. He almost seemed relieved to know that someone understood. "You missed Lucas."

"Lucas is an ass-"

"Hey! Little ears!" Lee interrupted, a smile fighting it's way onto his face. "He might tell you that's a bad word."

Will's face went red. He'd completely forgotten about that. Robyn started laughing, which only made it worse. "Did you really say that after waking up from a nightmare?"

"He said the f word!" they gasped and looked at Lee.

"You know fuck is worse than ass-"

He threw a cotton ball at them. "Watch your language!"

A cotton ball war broke out. Will was being used as a shield, though not a very effective one. It did cheer him up though.

"Y'all are gonna have to clean this up."

"Not it!"

"You'll do it if I tell you to!"

"Keep dreaming little man." The atmosphere felt much lighter.

* * *

The end of summer approached. Will was recruited along with several other campers to paint the camp beads for the summer.

It was actually very relaxing for him, which was probably why he ended up getting so many done. Though, while he was painting one, he paused. "Why golden apples?" he asked the kid next to him.

Oh! Annabeth was next to him! _Why did he get excited over realizing that?_ "Because of Luke's quest." she said flatly. "Do you want to finish these for me? I want to get back to my book."

He nodded and she passed her paint and beads over. She glanced around for a moment, then slipped out of the room. Whatever she was reading must have been a very good book, Will thought.

Looking over the beads she'd already painted, he was a little surprised to find she'd only done a few in the time he'd done several. Of course, she'd worked hard to make sure they were perfect. Annabeth never did anything halfway. He admired that about her.

 _She's almost perfect,_ his brain supplied. Really, he would have thought she was if she wasn't cold to pretty much everyone except Luke and Chiron. She'd been warming up to Will, but that probably had more to do with him being closer to how old she was when she got to camp. _After all, why would someone as great as her care about someone like him?_

Someone spoke to him and his thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Looking around, he caught Aileen's dark eyes. "What?"

"I asked how many you got done." She smiled. "It looks like a lot."

He glanced at his basket of finished beads. It was certainly more than Aileen got done. "At least 5."

She laughed. "That's true. Tell you what," she scooted closer, "I'll ask Jenny if you can pick your bead, then you can head out early. Sound good?"

He nodded. All of the energy and motivation he had while painting had gone. He couldn't even pick up the paintbrush anymore.

As she smiled and skipped off. If he could pick a bead, he'd definitely go with one Annabeth painted. He liked how shiny she made the apples look. _Plus, Annabeth had painted it._ Not that that meant it was special or anything.

With the okay sign given, he picked one and headed off to do something else, slipping the bead onto his leather cord and putting it around his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got distracted by Minecraft men again. Sad-ist really is a god of animatics huh? Also, Ranboo? a bean. i love he.
> 
> Anyways, i've got art and stuff to work on.

**Author's Note:**

> got any ideas? I might just write them! I might also not. Either way
> 
> Please don't expect regular updates.


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